Unforgivable
by Shini02
Summary: Beast Wars. Oneshot. Sequel to Unbelievable. The visit to Velocitron, which turned out to be a rather depressing trip, is coming to an end, and Rattrap's more than ready to leave the Speed Planet behind for good this time. Mild slash.


**Disclaimer:** I only own the fic, a-duh.

**A/N:** Yep, this is the second part to _Unbelievable_. Not much to say 'bout this one other than the usual "Rattrap was Ransack and Override's male" deal. However, if you haven't read my fic_ The Path Between the Stars_, I think you should since, somehow or another, I managed to work a part of that into this fic.

And, if you're still interested in where this is going, keep an eye out for a third and final part.

* * *

**Unforgivable**

Everyone knows I got that uncanny ability to just _know _when somethin' bad's gonna happen. So, I shoulda known this spur-o-the-moment trip to Velocitron would end up bitin' me in the skids. Sure, it was nice getting' offa Cybertron again an' gettin' some fresh air – but it's a slaggin' shame that fresh air went an' turned stale. Why I didn't see it comin' is any mech's guess. Maybe I'm losin' my touch, gettin' old or somethin'. Or maybe I thought I coulda waltzed right back inta my old life like nothin' happened. I don't slaggin' know.

I didn't expect t'run inta Override on the first day Spots an' I showed up. That was an unpleasant surprise I coulda done without. The way he still managed t'make me feel like a lesser mech just by _lookin_' at me was enough t'make me wanna blow a gasket. An' the way he talked like he knew me? Heh, don't get me started. Let's just say he _never _knew me, he wasn't even _close_ t'knowin' me.But I fronted good enough, came off real smooth, like I didn't care an' walked away with my head held high when the time came.

That night, I brought the kid t'an ol' hang-out o' mine. Now this place ain't nothin' like the places they got on Cybertron but it served it's purpose jus' fine. I got t'show Pussy-Cat how _real_ mechs have a good time, an' I got t'get a good buzz outta the deal, t'boot.

In the twenty-four mega-cycles that followed, I let the kid out on his own for a bit. Dunno what he did an' personally I don't care since he came back in one piece. But while he was out doin' whatever kids his age do, I went t'another place I used t'waste my time in. Off in the corner o' the joint was a big guy who looked like he had better days. I watched him 'cause watchin' him was more fun than watchin' the oil in my mug turn all colors o' the rainbow as it settled from bein' poured. He noticed me starin' an' glared; I just grinned at him. If he thought that look he gave me scared me, he had another thing comin' – I'd faced much more frightenin' mechs.

My grin set the guy off; he stood up an' walked over t'me, glarin' the whole time. An' when he slammed his fist down in front o' me and asked what I'd been grinnin' at, I lost whatever smart-mouth come-back I had ready for him. I _knew_ who he was. It took a bit o' convincin' but by the time the night ended, Crumplezone knew who I was, too.

Turns out outta the two o' us, ol' C.Z.'s the one thinkin' he did better with his life. I walked away lettin' him think whatever he wanted. If he wants t'believe livin' in the slums, spendin' everything he's got on cheap oil an' even cheaper femmes is a life worth livin' then he can go right ahead an' believe that. After meetin' up with him, in that state, it made me glad I was, once again, getting' offa this planet. An' this time, once I'm gone, I ain't comin' back.

But _until_ me an' the kid take off in a little over a mega-cycle, there ain't much left t'do but wait an' waste our time wanderin' around.

"Why'd you leave this place, R.T.?" Spots asks, hands folded behind his head as he walks.

"You asked me that one already," I reply with a grin. "Next."

Cheetor grins back at me. "You didn't tell me anything then!"

"Sure I did," I shrug and wave him off with one hand. "I told ya I wanted out."

He rolls his optics and shoves at my shoulder. "_Why_ did you want out? No offense but you seemed pretty eager to leave this planet in the dust back then – and yet, here we are."

I shake my head an' let my shoulders slump. "You wouldn't understand," I tell him with a smirk and he cocks an optic ridge at me.

"Does it have to do with Override?" He questions, optics narrowed smugly, and my mech fluid runs cold for a nano-click. Am I _that_ transparent?

I stare at him for a nano-click or two an' stop walkin' all t'gether t'lean against a wall. I raise my hands an' chuckle. "Red handed," I admit. "But," I say quickly so he don't get the wrong idea or nothin', "'Ride only played a small part in all o' it."

"Uh huh."

"It's true!"

"Ok," Pussy-Cat says with a laugh and leans against the wall beside me. "If he only played 'a small part'," he air-quotes me, "what's the rest of your story?"

"What's that Earth sayin'? The one 'bout the cat an' curiosity?" I mumble. I don't know if he's ready t'know my dirty secrets.

"_C'mon_, Rattrap! You can tell me now. I'm not a kid anymore," he states the obvious, optics narrowed on me. Heh, now _there's_ a look that'd make the Boss Monkey proud.

I sigh an' shake my head but smirk at the kid, shruggin' in defeat. "I was mixed up with the bad crowd here," I say simply, ignorin' the 'duh' look Spots is givin' me. "Decided I didn't wanna live that life anymore. So I up an' left."

He's quiet for a nano-click then looks up at the sky. "What kinda bad crowd? A gang or somethin'?"

"Heh, you could say that," I mutter an' look down at the ground, kickin' at it 'cause I slaggin' feel like it. The silent treatment he's givin' me makes me glare at my own foot; I can tell he wants me t'continue, t'explain. I take a breath an' it jus' comes out before I can stop myself. "Decepticons."

"_What_?" Cheetor says quietly, pushing himself offa the wall an' bendin' down a little t'look at me properly. "What do you mean, _Decepticons_?"

"Exactly what I said, kiddo."

"You mean, you...?"

"Yeah, I was a Decepticon. _So what_?" I snap but don't mean to. It's a touchy subject.

"I... guess I'm not as surprised as I should be," he chuckles suddenly an' puts his hands on his hips.

I look at him with wide optics. "Eh?"

"Nah, it's kinda obvious now that you brought it up," he waves me off. It makes me think o' the way Optimus pushed my Decepticon title aside an', jus' like that, allowed me t'join his crew all those stellar-cycles ago 'cause he thought I deserved a second chance. Or somethin' like that. "So, now that that's outta the way, why don't you connect the dots for me an' tell me the _whole_ story?"

I snicker an' rub the back o' my neck. "You're a real piece o' work, kid–"

"Rattrap!"

We both turn an' see Override walkin' over with that casual strut o' his. I sigh an' Cheetor cocks a brow at me. I wave him off, promisin' him I'll tell him _everythin_' later.

"What?" I ask, crossin' my arms over my chest.

"Heard you were leaving today. I'm glad I caught you before you left," Override says an' smiles at me. I don't bother returnin' it.

"Ok," I say slowly, "you caught me, now whattaya want with me?"

Override holds a hand out to me. "Just wanted to say goodbye this time." Why? Do I _deserve_ it _this time_? I get the feelin' he's tryin' t'make amends for the slag he put me through stellar-cycles ago, but he's too late.

I don't take his hand, I jus' stare at it for a cycle an' then look at him. "I'm touched," I lazily put a hand over my spark.

He clenches his hand an' lets his arm fall t'his side, bringin' up the other hand t'rub at the back o' his neck. "Will you be coming back in the future?"

"Nope," I say simply an' cross my arms over my chest again, leanin' back against the wall. "Never again."

"You said that once before," Override points out with a small smile.

"I mean it this time."

"You didn't last time?"

"I said a lotta things back then that I didn't mean."

Override goes quiet an' I grin to myself. It feels good t'have finally shut him up for a few nano-clicks.

"_Anyway_," I say an' push myself offa the wall, casually grabbin' Cheetor by the wrist. "We only got a bit o' time before we gotta split, so... It was nice t'see ya again, 'Ride." I wink at him before I start draggin' Cheetor away, an' I hear him chuckle to himself.

"Rattrap?" He calls but never moves from the spot where he stands. He never did like chasin' after me.

"Yeah?" I shout back, turnin' around an' walkin' backwards with Cheetor.

He's got his hands clenched against his hips an' a smile on his face that used t'drive me insane. "Take care. You're doing good for yourself, don't mess it up!"

"Didn't plan on it," I reply casually, turnin' around an' walkin' forward again. I hear 'Ride transform an' drive off, an' I'm able t'breathe a sigh o' relief when I realize I don't wanna turn around an' see him one last time.

"Spill," Cheetor pulls his wrist away an' puts his hands on his hips, givin' me that Optimus look again.

"Ok, ok," I raise my hands. "I used t'have a thing for him back in the day. Asked him out a _few_ times, got turned down every single time." Spots cocks a brow at me; yeah, hearin' how I cared 'bout someone other than me long before I met ol' Lizard Lips must come as a shock. "I got sick o' the rejection an' joined the Cons, figured the power an' position'd be a way t'catch his attention, y'know?" He nods his understanding. "It didn't work out that way, so I bailed offa Velocitron an' wound up stuck with you do-gooders." I grin at him and he chuckles, shaking his head.

"Oh come on, we weren't that bad," he says and nudges me.

"Yeah, yeah," I shoo his hand away and shove him back. Anythin' was better than bein' on this planet, bein' a Con.

"So what now?" The kid asks an' I shrug.

"We wait for our shuttle an' then we go home," I say simply 'cause that's all there's left t'do.

"...and then what, R.T.?" He asks softly. Good question, kid, good question.

"You do what you gotta do an' I'll do what I gotta do," I say an' look up at him, givin' him half a smile. His smile matches mine an' he nods. He knows that when we're offa this unforgivin' piece o' my past an' back on Cybertron, we're gonna go our separate ways the way most good soldiers do an' live whatever lives we choose.

I just hope he's got better plans for the future than me.

-End

* * *

_It's too late to make it right, I probably wouldn't if I could, 'cause I'm mad as hell and can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should._


End file.
